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Information for Patients

If you are a patient with chronic pain, finding the safest and most effective treatment is of the utmost importance. One of the most useful tools your doctor has to monitor your treatment plan, and avoid potentially harmful drug-to-drug interactions, is regular urine drug testing. Ameritox pain medication monitoring solutionsSM gives you and your doctor the resources and information that will help you both to achieve the best possible outcomes.

By choosing you for monitoring through Ameritox, your doctor is showing his or her commitment to helping you manage your chronic pain and protect your safety. The information from your test results will help your doctor to determine if you are taking the medication correctly and if your treatment plan is progressing as planned. With this and your other diagnostic information, you and your physician can prevent harmful drug-to-drug interactions and identify ways to refine your treatment plan, if necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ameritox pain medication monitoring solutionsSM are an important part of your chronic pain management. We encourage you to learn how pain medication monitoring solutions can help you and your physician develop the most effective treatment plan.

Questions about Ameritox and Urine Drug Monitoring

Who is Ameritox?Ameritox is the nation’s leader in Pain Medication Monitoring Solutions® services. Your physician has ordered laboratory services from Ameritox. Ameritox product, Rx Guardian with Rx Guardian CDSM, is the diagnostic and monitoring tool that your physician has selected to help manage your treatment successfully. Rx GuardianSM is a valuable tool that helps your physician monitor the levels of your medications. It provides your physician with better information to support your treatment plan. With Rx GuardianSM from Ameritox, your physician has an additional tool for treating symptoms through superior monitoring technology.

Why do I need urine drug monitoring?Urine drug monitoring is an important tool, along with other clinical information, that helps your doctor better determine the best way to treat your chronic pain. It is a tool that provides more information about the medications in your system. The information in your test results can also detect dangerous drug-to-drug interactions and can help protect you from the inherent risks of opioid therapy.

My doctor hasn’t been testing me. What made him decide to test me now?Providing a sample for urine drug monitoring is not an indication that your doctor suspects anything or that you may be doing anything wrong. Your doctor may be doing randomized testing of his chronic pain patients. What that means is that rather than having to decide who might best benefit from testing, he or she will pick patients for testing at random intervals. That way, no patient is ever singled out and no patient is accidentally skipped over.

Can I refuse to be tested?When a doctor chooses to use urine drug monitoring as a part of his or her chronic pain treatments, it is usually integral to how he or she makes important decisions regarding your care. It also indicates that the drugs prescribed as part of your medication regimen are of a nature that should be closely monitored. As a result, refusing to be tested may make it impossible for your doctor to continue your treatment in a manner that he or she sees as effective and safe. As a patient you have the right to refuse testing, however, your doctor may exercise his right to refuse to continue your care. Please remember that your doctor is committed to your well-being and safety.

How can I best work with my doctor to get the most out of testing?There are things you can do to help ensure your urine drug test results help your doctor in providing the best care. Here is how you can best partner with your doctor:

Prepare for each doctor visit. Be ready to tell your physician about any other prescription or non-prescription drugs, vitamins, or supplements you are taking, or bring everything in if you think you’ll have trouble remembering.

Educate yourself. The more you know about the medication you are taking, the more you will understand the effects, any potential side-effects and risks.

Take notes. Writing down what your doctor tells you will help you follow his or her directions.

Be careful to follow your doctor’s directions. It is your doctor who best understands you and your treatment.

Update your physician. Be aware of possible side effects and discuss them with your doctor. Many people experience side effects and sometimes it’s possible to switch to another medication. Let your physician know of any other physicians you see or other medications you take.

Spread good news. Don’t just tell your physician the bad news. They like to hear the positive, too.

What if I have questions about my Ameritox Rx GuardianSM results reports?If you have questions about your results report, it’s best to ask your doctor. He or she will be able to help you understand your results. Much of the information in your Rx Guardian results report will be of a technical nature.

Questions about billing and why you received a bill

What should I do if I need help paying my bill?Patients who cannot afford to pay their bill or do not have insurance are encouraged to request financial assistance from Ameritox before making any payment. Ameritox will provide financial assistance to patients who meet certain financial criteria. For financial assistance criteria and to request financial assistance, please review the Financial Assistance Application. You may also contact a Customer Service Representative at (877) 643-6179, Mon – Fri: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (ET).

You should expect to receive a response from Ameritox regarding your Financial Assistance Application within thirty (30) days of submission. If you do not qualify for assistance, or the assistance is not sufficient, we will make every effort to develop a plan that works for you. Please let us know if you need financial assistance before making any payments on your account; once a payment is made, money cannot be refunded.

What is the difference between an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) and a bill?An Explanation of Benefits (EOB) is a form or document that may be sent to you by your insurance company after you have had laboratory services (a urine drug monitoring test, for example) that were paid by the insurance company. You should get an EOB if you have private health insurance, a health plan from your employer, or Medicare. An EOB is not a bill.

Your bill will come from Ameritox (not from the insurance company) and will include all payments made by your insurance company, and any other discounts. Your bill will identify any balance you may owe. You must pay the balance to Ameritox. Information about how to pay will be listed directly on the bill.

In some cases, your insurance company may send you a check directly as payment for the laboratory services you received from Ameritox. If you receive a check for these services, the check is provided for payment of Ameritox services. Please promptly endorse the check and send it to Ameritox as payment. The check should be mailed to the address below:

Ameritox, Ltd.
PO Box 402166
Atlanta, GA 30384-2166

What if my Explanation of Benefits (EOB) Patient Responsibility Amount is different than the bill I received from AmeritoxOur Customer Service staff will work with you to straighten this out. Please contact a Customer Service Representative at (877) 643-6179, Mon – Fri: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (ET)

What if my insurance information has changed or it wasn’t correctly entered into the system?Please contact a Customer Service Representative at (877) 643-6179 and give them your correct insurance information as soon as possible. Incorrect or missing insurance information may cause you to be charged an incorrect bill amount.

What if I have other questions regarding my bill?If you have questions or concerns regarding an Ameritox bill, please contact a Customer Service Representative at (877) 643-6179, Mon – Fri: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (ET). Download Ameritox’s billing policy.

Questions about Patient Privacy

Will my medical information be kept confidential, and how can I get access to it?Ameritox is committed to protecting the privacy of your personal and health information, including individual laboratory test results and other patient protected health information that we collect or create as part of our testing activities. We urge you to read our Notice of Privacy Practices carefully so that you will understand both our commitment to the privacy of your information, and how you can participate in that commitment. Should you have any questions about our privacy practices, please call us Toll Free at (888) 494-2165 and ask for the Privacy Officer, or send an email to privacy.officer@ameritox.com, or write to us at the following address: